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Yoga in the rice fields
This morning you will find me goofing around in the Bonichi Shimbun again. This time I’m not at my desk, but doing yoga in the rice terraces in my work apron and boots. The article announces an event that I am co-hosting at Oyama Senmaida. For International Yoga Day, on June 21st, I’ll be teaching…
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Leading into Rainy Season
Rainy season is on its way. Okinawa’s 梅雨入り(start of rainy season) was declared yesterday. From there it will proceed east and north until it comes here. Tsuyu isn’t officially declared until the rainy season front (梅雨前線 tsuyu-zensen) has settled in. Here in the Kanto region, it generally starts at the end of the first week…
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Farmpark Koi Nobori
Today I participated in a children’s festival at the newly opened Soil to Soul Farmpark. The weather was perfect, there was a huge turnout and 23 people made koi nobori at my stall. I sold almost all the large fish and about half the small ones, which was opposite of what I guessed I’d do.…
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Artsy Koi Nobori
Koi nobori are carp streamers that fly on Children’s Day. On Friday, May 3rd, I’ll host a koi nobori art activity at the Soil to Soul Farmpark kids’ festival. Megumi and I both saw artsy foreign koi nobori that are making the rounds on social media and she was inspired to ask me to do…
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Flea Market
At the end of last year, Mamiko asked me if I’d help her organise a flea market at Hangar eight. Sure! Several months of planning, design work, recruiting vendors, and enticing customers culminated in a good success today for the International Mottainai Flea Market. We had 27 vendors and lots of people came to shop…
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Teaching the Birds a Song
This morning I opened the window and heard loud and eager songbirds. A trio of brownish birds held a concert in a tangle of vines and trees. I listened. The cats listened. It was glorious. I tried to capture a video, but the sound quality on my phone doesn’t do it justice. Here it is…
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Cutting grass, inaka style
Recently, I started hearing the buzz of kusukari-ki, our pared-down country lawnmowers, around the valley. I took it as a clear sign that grass cutting season had arrived. Last year I made a mistake and started cutting the jungle at 555 in March…several weeks before everyone else. That meant I trimmed back flowers and forage…
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A Walk at Bodai Dam
We unexpectedly found ourselves taking a walk at Bodai Dam yesterday. How do you unexpectedly end up at Bodai Dam? You start by running errands in town. When Tod says, “Let’s just drive over this scenic place I saw on the map, because we have a little time and the weather is good today” you…
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Spring Hiking
Sunday was the Spring Mineoka Walking event at Oyama Senmaida. We had 29 participants on a 7.5 km course along the country roads and up the mountain. My main role was doing a warmup with everyone before we left, then walking at the end of the line with the slower, chatty walkers. It was fun…
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Bonichi Shimbun
Today I am on the front page on the local paper, the Bonichi Shimbun. And at the top of the digital edition, too. On Monday, I was interviewed about my activity at Oyama Senmaida, specifically how I am working with Ushimura-san to update their English language materials and planning an English version of the website.…
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